Preventative Measures?

Your correspondent Mr Fairley suggested (Letters, 29 January) that would-be terrorists should be encouraged to leave Canada and then the government should prevent their return.

The Canadian Bill of Rights explicitly insists that Canadian citizens have the right to leave, and return to, Canada as they desire. The Bill of Rights is embedded in the Constitution. Any thought of amending the Constitution would require a majority vote of both houses of Parliament and at least half of the provinces with 70% of the population.

Given the confrontational attitude of the Loyal Opposition, who appear to seize every opportunity to attempt to embarrass the Government, any such change seems impossible.

However, those living in Canada without benefit of citizenship could be refused re-entry. I gather that the Government intends to do that.

Charles Hooker

East Garafraxa

‘Amazed’ at Claire Hoy’s ‘rants’

I read Claire Hoy and continue to be amazed at his rants. Is he getting his ‘talking points’ directly from Harper?

He is the stupid one for thinking Mulcair and Trudeau don’t support our troops. It’s not about the military. They don’t like the way Harper tells us one thing and does another.

He says, “let me be perfectly clear” and then nothing is clear (and very little is honest). Harper has reduced veterans’ services but says he supports our troops. He tells us our troops are deployed to assist training and we find out they are engaged with the enemy. His truthfulness is in question. He is not trustworthy. This is the issue.

Harper solves his problems by restricting dissenting opinion. He doesn’t let his own members speak for themselves and he muzzles scientists reporting on environmental issues.

Then I read Mr. Fairley’s opinions in the letters section and I start to think: Is my television tuned to a U.S. “Fox” channel and am I listening to Republican right-wing logic to solve our problems?

Mr. Fairley is delusional if he believes more military, more police, more restrictive powers, more detention, more censorship will make Canada a world leader.

It seems to me that we are not charting our own course at all, but following right behind the U.S., and this makes me very afraid.

We were a world leader when we advocated for peace over war and fairness in negotiations between adversaries. I believe Canadians want the respect we had in the past from the rest of the world, when we were fair-minded peace-keepers, and cared for the earth and each other, when we were tolerant and respectful of others and weren’t afraid.

This Harper government wants us afraid, it then allows them to implement measures to protect us … that restrict our opinions, restrict our options and ultimately restrict our freedoms.

Jamie McAlpine

Shelburne

Mystery neighbour

I had the most wonderful surprise when I arrived home after work on Monday, February 3rd………A completely cleared driveway. We had had one of the biggest snowfalls of the year, and I fully expected to spend most of the evening shoveling.

Instead, I was able to pull directly into my driveway and then simply relax and enjoy my evening.

I asked my immediate neighbours if they had done the work. They all had similar stories to mine. None of us know who this mystery person is.

I would like to be able to thank my neighbour on Scott Drive. It is not every day, that we get to experience such kindness and generosity from a stranger. Especially, when that person obviously expects nothing in return.